Match Preview: Kansas City Current look to solidify postseason status in road tilt against Racing Louisville FC

KANSAS CITY (Oct. 4 2024) –– The Kansas City Current (12-3-7, 43pts., 4th place) kick off a two-game road trip this weekend, as the Current pay a visit to Racing Louisville FC (6-9-7, 25pts., 9th place) Saturday evening. The contest kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT from Lynn Family Stadium and will be broadcast locally on KMCI, 38 The Spot. Saturday’s match will also stream nationally on NWSL+. Fans in Kansas City can catch the action on 90.9 The Bridge or listen to the match on the KC Current App in English or Spanish.

Kansas City concluded a difficult three-match stretch against the NWSL’s top three sides last weekend, earning a 1-1 draw against NJ/NY Gotham FC Sept. 28. Gotham FC took an early lead in the first half, but forward Temwa Chawinga equalized for the Current shortly into the second half. Chawinga’s goal marked her 17th of the regular season and proved enough for Kansas City to earn a crucial point.

Last weekend’s contest capped a three-game stretch in which Kansas City squared off against first-place Orlando, second-place Washington and third-place Gotham FC in consecutive order. The Current emerged unbeaten, posting a 1-0-2 record while conceding once. Just two of Kansas City’s remaining four regular season games are against squads currently holding a playoff position, but all four are jockeying for position and still alive for a postseason berth.

That includes Louisville, who enters the weekend three points behind eighth-place Bay FC. Louisville had its two-match winning streak snapped last weekend by the Utah Royals, as a 78th minute strike from Utah midfielder Ana Tejada proved to be the difference between the sides in a 1-0 Royals victory. Lynn Family Stadium has been a haven for Louisville of recent, though, as Louisville enters Saturday’s contest having won three of its last four NWSL regular season home contests.

Kansas City and Louisville played to a thrilling 3-3 draw at CPKC Stadium in the sides’ first regular season meeting May 18. Forward Emma Sears opened the scoring for Louisville in the 19th minute, but Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta equalized from the penalty spot three minutes into first-half stoppage time. The Current and Louisville traded goals in the first 25 minutes of the second half, and the match remained level at 2-2 at the 90-minute mark. However, defender Gabrielle Robinson put the Current ahead in second-half stoppage time with a long-range strike that appeared to give Kansas City the full three points. Louisville persisted, though, and found an improbable late equalizer in the 13th minute of second-half stoppage time through midfielder Savannah DeMelo.

CPKC DREAMING
The Current’s continued impressive run of form means the club is inching closer toward its first-ever home playoff match. Kansas City can clinch a top four finish on the final NWSL table and a home playoff match at CPKC Stadium IF the Current win against Louisville AND the North Carolina Courage either draw or lose against the San Diego Wave. The Courage’s match against San Diego kicks off nearly simultaneously to the Current’s match Saturday night, so Kansas City could secure a home postseason match as soon as Saturday night.

Kansas City is still alive for the NWSL Shield, a trophy recently reimagined by the NWSL and Tiffany & Co. in a formal unveiling Wednesday, but Orlando can win the trophy with a win Sunday against the Washington Spirit. Despite potentially missing out on the opportunity to win the reimagined trophy, the Current can take solace in the fact that NWSL Shield winner has never won the NWSL Championship in the same season.

The 2024 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, begin the second weekend of November with the eight-team quarterfinal round, followed by the semifinal round the following weekend. CPKC Stadium will host the 2024 NWSL Championship, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 23.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current forward Bia Zaneratto –– Forward Bia Zaneratto has slowly been ramping up her match fitness since returning from an ankle injury Sept. 7. The Brazilian international has appeared as a second half substitute in each of the Current’s last three matches but made her lengthiest appearance of the bunch last weekend against Gotham FC. Zaneratto played the entire second half of the contest and has been a welcome re-addition to the Current’s lethal attack. Despite missing time due to injury, the Brazilian ranks fifth in the NWSL with 33 chances created from open play.

Racing Louisville FC forward Bethany Balcer –– Forward Bethany Balcer did not feature in the first meeting between the Current and Louisville because Balcer was not yet a member of the club. The veteran forward was a mid-season acquisition for Louisville, as she was traded to the club Aug. 19 from the Seattle Reign. Balcer has scored twice for Louisville in six regular season matches with the club. The 2019 NWSL Rookie of the Year, Balcer is the only player to win the award from an NAIA University. The Spring Arbor University (Michigan) product spent her previous five full NWSL seasons with Seattle and was originally drafted by then-Reign head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

BEST OF THE BEST
The Kansas City Current was again well-represented as the NWSL dished out its monthly awards this week. Chawinga was named the NWSL Player of the Month, presented by EA Sports, for September in an official announcement Thursday afternoon. Chawinga also earned the honor in June.

Chawinga scored a goal in four of the Current’s five games in September, leading all NWSL goal scorers in the month. Her game-winning goal against the Utah Royals Sept. 7 extended her NWSL regular season scoring streak to a league-record eight contests. Chawinga also led all players in scoring (4), shots on target (12) and shots on target inside the box throughout the month. She also posted 80.99% passing accuracy in September and recorded 17 total shots in September.

Chawinga and LaBonta both appeared in the September Best XI of the Month, presented by Amazon Prime, which was announced earlier Friday. LaBonta has now appeared on the league’s monthly Best XI in four consecutive months after recording one goal and one assist in September. LaBonta also won nine tackles and recorded five interceptions in 450 minutes played.

GOLDEN BOOT UPDATE
With 17 goals and four regular season matches remaining, Chawinga has opened a comfortable lead in the 2024 NWSL Golden Boot race. Chawinga has a four-goal lead on Orlando forward Barbra Banda, who has 13 goals, and a six-goal lead on Portland forward Sophia Smith.

Not only does Chawinga have the Golden Boot in her sights, but she is also in the midst of one of the greatest offensive seasons in the NWSL’s history. Chawinga is just one goal away from matching the NWSL regular season scoring record, when Sam Kerr bagged 18 goals in 2019. The Malawian forward has six assists to go with her staggering goal total.

While her league-record streak of eight consecutive NWSL regular season matches with a goal was snapped, Chawinga has scored in 10 of the Current’s last 11 regular season contests. 12 of Chawinga’s 17 NWSL regular season goals have come in that stretch. She did not score in the first meeting between the Current and Louisville in May.

VOTE FOR FRANCH
Current fans can officially voice their support for goalkeeper AD Franch as she seeks to claim the 2024 NWSL Lauren Holiday Impact award, presented by Nationwide. Fan voting formally opened Tuesday, and fans can vote once per day for Franch or their nominee of choice on the NWSL’s microsite. Voting runs until Oct. 31. The nominee with the most fan votes at the end of October will receive $5,000 to donate to a charitable organization of their choice, as well as an additional $5,000 awarded to the nominee’s community partner.

The winner of the fan vote does not necessarily equate to being named the overall winner of the 2024 NWSL Lauren Holiday Community Impact Award. The overall winner is decided by the Lauren Holiday Impact Award panel, which is comprised of representatives from the NWSL, the NWSL Players Association, Nationwide, media members and Lauren Holiday herself. The overall winner will receive $30,000 for their non-profit partner.

More information about the award, including detailed information about all 14 nominees, can be found here. For more details on Franch, her community partner WeCode KC and Franch’s commitment to community service, visit here.

NCAA TO KC
On Wednesday, the NCAA announced CPKC Stadium has been selected as the host site for the 2025 NCAA DI Women’s College Cup and the 2026 NCAA DII Women’s and Men’s Soccer Championships. The announcement marks the first time CPKC Stadium will host an NCAA championship event, as well as the first-ever time the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championships will be hosted in Kansas City, Mo.

The Current will welcome four of the best college soccer teams in the country to CPKC Stadium, as the Current will host the semifinal round and championship match for each tournament. Located in Berkley Riverfront Park in Downtown Kansas City, CPKC Stadium is the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team.

Ticket information will be provided at a later date.

To date in 2024, CPKC Stadium has hosted 12-straight sellout KC Current NWSL regular season matches plus it will host the 2024 and 2025 Big 12 Soccer Championships in November as well as the 2024 NWSL Championship Nov. 23.

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT:  Alex Pfeiffer (SEI-knee), Gabrielle Robinson (SEI-knee), Mallory Weber (SEI - knee)
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